Response to 'Quantico' in India was overwhelming: Priyanka Chopra

Sat, Aug 20, 2016, 12:26 PM

New York, Aug 20: Actress Priyanka Chopra, who is scaling new heights internationally, is overwhelmed with the positive response to her "Quantico" American drama series and says she never expected that her television stint in the English language will have that "kind of success".

"Wherever I met people, wherever I go and every time I landed in India, every time someone tweeted to me or talked about me or the fact that I won the People's Choice Award in America, the kind of support that I got from the Indian demographic and the Indian audience that watched 'Quantico' in India, it was so overwhelming.

"I did not expect that if I would do something on television in India, that too in English language, it would have the kind of success that it did," Priyanka said in a statement.

The actress, who is a name to reckon with in the Indian entertainment industry for her film as well as for her support to social causes, made her international TV debut as an FBI agent named Alex Parrish via "Quantico" last year.

Now, with the series heading towards its second season, Priyanka will be seen portraying role of a CIA agent. The first season of "Quantico" is being telecast in India on Star World and Star World HD.

In a conversation with Star World, Priyanka shared how she got "Quantico" and about her fans in India.

Talking about how she got the show, Priyanka said that it all started with a party where the then VP (Vice President) casting for ABC Keli Lee approached her for the role.

She said: "I was at a dinner party at a friend's house, just 10 people and I met the VP of casting for ABC and she had seen a lot of my work and she was excited about meeting me over there. And she started talking to me about what she does and the need for diversity in America.

"She asked me if I would do television and I said, 'No, I love feature films and television is too much of a commitment, I don't know if I want to do it'. She didn't believe me, she flew down to India, she came to my set and she sat down with me and she pitched to an idea of a talent deal... I got to say I was curious."

The former beauty queen will also be seen as a guest judge for season 15 of American TV series "Project Runway", hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.

Priyanka will join the series as one of the few guest judges on the show, which will air from September. The show focuses on budding designers who are given an opportunity to create a collection for New York Fashion Week.

She will also make her Hollywood debt in a negative role in "Baywatch" -- the big screen version of the globally popular TV series featuring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.